Wellington Strategies

"The whole art of war consists of guessing at what is on the other side of the hill." - -Duke of Wellington

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Wellington Strategies

"The whole art of war consists of guessing at what is on the other side of the hill." - -Duke of Wellington

OUR MISSION

Wellington Strategies is a Pittsburgh based firm offering its clients a variety of government affairs consulting services including traditional lobbying, grassroots lobbying, public affairs, grant and contract identification, and writing services. Led by renowned entrepreneur and author of "The Robin Hood of D.C.," Joseph Kuklis, the Wellington team has successfully raised over $900 million in public and private funds for its clients. Wellington builds off of its experiences and unique approaches to ensure client priorities are realized by the local, state and federal government.

Government Affairs

Grant

Consulting

Business Consulting

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Wellington specializes in helping organizations develop and maintain relationships with key elected officials in federal, state, and local governments.

Wellington works with Fortune 500 and 5000 companies, mid-sized entities, small startups, national non-profits, and local non-profits with a smaller, regional focus. Wellington assists its clients in securing audiences in front of key decision makers at all levels of government including the White House, Congress, governors' offices, state legislatures, and/or local officials, regardless of your organization's size and geographic scope.

No policy issue is too big or too small. Wellington's extensive network of contacts in the government space allows for the most effective strategies, ensuring your priorities are addressed by government in an efficient and effective manner.

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Wellington can guide your organization through the complicated processes of grant identification, writing, submission, and administration of funds, including reporting requirements.

Using subject matter expertise and strong relationships with public and private funders, we will help your organization navigate through the thousands of grants at the federal, state, local levels of government and in private foundations. To make sure deadlines are met, Wellington constructs an extensive grant calendar, visually depicting opportunities that best apply to your mission in an easy to read Gantt chart and timeline format.

Wellington's consultants will help you write a competitive narrative, assist with cumbersome application and submission processes, and ensure the right decision makers are aware of your application and your organization.

Wellington's Team

Wellington’s team is comprised of a diverse array of skilled consultants who have helped secure over $900 million in non-dilutive funding, won countless legislative victories, and established strong relationships with local, state, federal, and international governments for its clients.

Wellington's Team

Wellington’s team is comprised of a diverse array of skilled consultants who have helped secure over $900 million in non-dilutive funding, won countless legislative victories, and established strong relationships with local, state, federal, and international governments for its clients.

Joe Kuklis

Joe is the founder, President and CEO of Wellington Strategies.

Prior to creating Wellington Strategies, Joe founded and was President & CEO of GSP Consulting, a government affairs and consulting firm assisting companies and organizations of all shapes and sizes with public fund raising, public policy and government contracting needs. In 2012, Joe merged GSP into an international law firm to create a wholly owned subsidiary offering similar services to its clients around the country. Prior to establishing GSP, Joe was the Deputy State Director for US Senator Rick Santorum, acting as the Senator’s primary point of contact in PA for community & economic development groups, municipal & state leaders, and trade associations.

Joe is the author of the Robin Hood of D.C., a how-to guide for small-to-medium sized businesses to navigate the government marketplace in Washington and state capitols.

Contact Joe at: jkuklis@wellingtonstrategies.com, 412-606-6067

DAN SOLTESZ

Dan joined Wellington Strategies in April of 2018 and draws on years of experience in Pennsylvania politics to assist clients navigate all levels of government. Dan had previously worked for the Pennsylvania Senate and House of Representatives, as well as serving as a Member of Pleasant Hills Borough Council, having held the positions of President and Vice President. He currently serves as the Pleasant Hills Delegate to the Allegheny County Boroughs Association and the Allegheny League of Municipalities, and has also previously served on the Advisory Committee of Economic Development South.

Dan Soltesz is a lifetime resident of Pleasant Hills, Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and History and learned the importance of service to others, having been a member of the Saint Vincent Fire Department and Alpha Phi Omega, the national service fraternity. Dan is also an alumnus of the Coro Center for Civic Leadership and the Local Government Academy. Dan serves his community as a volunteer firefighter, on the Young Professionals Outreach Board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh, as well as a Member of the Board of Directors of Get Involved!, Inc.

Contact Dan at: dan@wellingtonstrategies.com, 412-897-0817

Linda Handley

Linda, is a growth-minded business executive who has successfully managed operations for multi-billion dollar corporations to small startups. She has numerous awards including Top Ten Power People in Pittsburgh and Community and Government Leadership Awards.

Specifically in her role at Wellington Strategies, Linda prepares federal, state, and local funding requests. Additionally, Linda assists with numerous foundation proposals and grants. Linda joined Wellington Strategies in April 2018 as a part-time consultant.

Linda has extensive experience with funding strategies, EITC, (Tax Credits) GEDF (Economic Development Fund), SAMS contracting through the Federal Government, grants and foundation support, corporate sponsorship, and private donors. In addition to government and foundation strategies, Linda has years of experience in social media, public relations and marketing for non-profits.

Linda received a Masters and Undergraduate from the University of Pittsburgh and Six Sigma training from Villanova. Outside of work, Linda manages her commercial and residential real estate holdings.

LUC MONTMINY

Luc draws upon his academic background and leadership experience in politics for clients at the local, state, and federal levels. Specifically in his role, Luc oversees research/policy consulting projects, strategic development of government outreach efforts at the state and federal level, and strategic program development for clients seeking public subsidy funding opportunities.

Prior to joining Wellington, Luc worked for three years as a Government Affairs Analyst for Duane Morris Government Strategies. He also volunteered as an operations coordinator for the re-election campaign of Congressman Jim Himes in Connecticut. Luc was the Director of Internal Party Operations for the Ontario PC Party, a major political party in Ontario, Canada, from 2009 to December of 2011.

Luc received a Masters in Political Science from the University of Western Ontario and an Honor's Arts Degree in Political Science from the University of Guelph.

Contact Luc at: luc@wellingtonstrategies.com, 203-585-3115

ANDREW SCHILFFARTH

In his position at Wellington, Andrew works to advance business ambitions of clients with governmental opportunities and funding at every level. Andrew specializes in research, grant writing/identification, and government outreach for clients. Andrew has been with Wellington since January 2017 when he began as an intern. He transitioned to a full time employee in May 2018 following his graduation from college.

Andrew received an Honor’s B.A. in both Political Science and Communication from the University of Pittsburgh. His concentration in Political Science was in International Relations with a focus on Transatlantic Policy and the eastward expansion of the European Union. His concentrations in Communication were in Ancient Greek Rhetoric and American Political Rhetoric.

Contact Andrew at: andrew@wellingtonstrategies.com, 859-797-7770

Jocelyn Sheppard

Jocelyn Sheppard has over 20 years’ experience as a researcher and analyst, and has spent 13 years in the field of technology transfer and commercialization. At Red House Consulting, she provides commercialization feasibility studies; business plans and proposals; strategic and operational planning; and project and event planning for clients in the business, nonprofit, and government sectors.

Prior to founding Red House Consulting in 2001, Dr. Sheppard was a program manager at the National Technology Transfer Center, where she designed and managed commercialization feasibility studies for new technologies belonging to commercial, federal, and academic clients. The NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory credited her reports with helping to secure the interest of potential investors and licensees in JPL technologies.

As a project manager, Dr. Sheppard has worked closely with scientists and engineers to produce reports, white papers, and memoranda for non-technical audiences. Her writing and editorial experience includes the preparation of documentation for NASA, U.S. Department of Defense, and other government, business, and academic organizations.

CANDACE M. ROBICK

Candace M. Robick, Ph.D. is an author, educator, coach, consultant and leader in public education. She has orchestrated and spearheaded obtaining and writing grants over the last twelve years. A graduate from Washington and Jefferson College, Carnegie Mellon University, Slippery Rock University, Edinboro University, and Walden University, she is interested in business development and education efforts, strategic planning, and the development of positive organizational cultures through team building.

Dr. Robick has special interests in vocational education as it relates to the success of students. Inspired to infuse her knowledge of successful education pursuits, she enjoys working with undergraduate students pursuing their student teaching internships and graduate students pursuing their principal internships. Dr. Robick is presently employed by Grand Canyon University. She is the Founder and CEO of Solutions Based Learning which contracts with school systems and corporations on securing and implementing coaching systems to promote employee success in the workforce. Dr. Robick is a forerunner in providing professional development, curricular system development, the implementation of system trainings, and organizational change management.